The Platform Sutra: Sections 27-30 and commentary, p174-183 (180-189 on Kindle)

[Kokuu]

Dear all

This week we continue with sections 27-30 of the sutra. In Section 27, Huineng tells us that the way to get free of our 84 000 passions is traditionally with the 84 000 wisdoms that are the antidote to each passion. However, Huineng says that through the threefold application of wisdom - ‘no thought’ (of the future), ‘no memory’ (of the past), and ‘no attachment’ (to the present) – we can stop creating and clinging to these passions and delusions.

I think this is interesting to compare with Tilopa’s six words from the Tibetan Mahamudra tradition:

Let go of what has passed.
Let go of what may come.
Let go of what is happening now.
Don’t try to figure anything out.
Don’t try to make anything happen.
Relax, right now, and rest.

(translation by Ken McLeod)

Huineng goes on to emphasise that are the nature of suchness and should view all dharmas with wisdom, as they are suchness too.

This reminds me of when we talked about Tongan Daopi from Keizan’s Denkoroku during the spring retreat in that we seek to be a person of suchness and we already are of that nature.
We create separation when we see ourselves as outside of suchness and Huineng’s threefold wisdom is an antidote to doing that.

In Section 28, Huineng points to the supremacy of the practice of the perfection of wisdom, especially through reading (and memorising) The Diamond Sutra. He says, however, that these teachings are only for those of a higher capacity. Similarly, in Section 29, Huineng talks about people of small capacity not being ready for the perfection of wisdom teachings and that they prefer to rely on external practices rather than the wisdom of their own minds.

But, as Red Pine points out, it is also true that the way is open to everyone and everyone can accomplish it. We only need a moment to see our original self.
In Section 30, Huineng does go on to say much the same in that although there are (in the words of The Identity of Relative and Absolute) wise ones and fools, fools equally have the potential to listen to and practice this dharma and become wise.

He states that ‘as long as they don’t understand, buddhas are ordinary beings. But the moment they understand, ordinary beings are buddhas’.

Or, as Dōgen says in Genjokoan:

Those who greatly realise delusion are buddhas. Those who are greatly deluded about realisation are ordinary beings.

Huineng tells us that the ten thousand teachings are all in our own mind and when we know our mind and see our nature, we complete the path to Buddhahood.


Questions

1. What do you make of Huineng’s threefold approach to practice - ‘no thought’, ‘no memory’, and ‘no attachment’? How do we approach doing that?
2. How do you see Huineng’s description of people being of greater and lesser capacity? Might that put some people off practice if they see themselves as a person of lesser capacity?

Wishing you all a beautiful week.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

[Taigen]

Questions

1. What do you make of Huineng’s threefold approach to practice - ‘no thought’, ‘no memory’, and ‘no attachment’? How do we approach doing that?
2. How do you see Huineng’s description of people being of greater and lesser capacity? Might that put some people off practice if they see themselves as a person of lesser capacity?

1. I think it is most important simply not to dwell too much on any of these things. You obviously have to spend some time in memory, but don't be caught there. You need to plan ahead, but your life is here now. Be present, but don't beat yourself up for the times when you're not. Hold these things lightly and be kind to yourself, life is hard enough anyway.

2. I worry less about this putting people off of practice than I do about the type of people who consider themselves "of high capacity." It reminds me of the story of the professor with the overflowing teacup. Perhaps "high capacity" in this case means "not-full" or "empty"? I think of Shariputra, who seems like he always needs correcting, or Ananda, who memorized everything the Buddha ever said and still didn't get it. Maybe high capacity or wise people are just those who know they don't know and are ready to receive instruction.

Gassho,
Taigen
SatLah

[Chikyou]

• What do you make of Huineng’s threefold approach to practice - ‘no thought’, ‘no memory’, and ‘no attachment’? How do we approach doing that?

I think that the third - “no attachment” includes both “no thought” and “no memory” - our thoughts pass by if we are not attached to them, and our memories don’t matter so much if we aren’t attached to them. Like a story I read a while back about a bird, leaving no trace as it flies through the sky.

• How do you see Huineng’s description of people being of greater and lesser capacity? Might that put some people off practice if they see themselves as a person of lesser capacity?

As we all have Buddha nature, don’t we all have the same capacity? It’s how we practice that makes the difference.

Gassho,
SatLah,
Chikyō

[Hosui]

As with the myriad dharmas or phenomenon - sometimes expressed as ‘grasses’ - we know that they’re no different from us: we are they, interpenetrating and interdependent. In the same way, the 84,000 passions and the 84,000 corresponding wisdoms are also us. With Dogen it’s possible to frame this sameness in terms of time: just as our existence is the entire universe, so our time of practice is the entirety of all time. Fortunately, Hui-neng’s threefold approach to practice - no thought of the future, no memory of the past, and no attachment to the present - is this temporal correspondence. Not only are we the 84,000 passions/wisdoms, the practice of renouncing our attachments to the three temporal realms, and living in the eternal now, allows us to become truly free of the duality of passions and wisdoms. Ta da!

Though this freedom comes at a cost, which is the capacity to drop off body and mind. Not only are people not always willing to pay this, some don’t see this as a cost at all. Again, fortunately, delusion and enlightenment are already Buddhadharma. Even if we suffer anxieties to protect the self from this scary sounding dropping off, that priceless jewel is still sewn into our clothes. Ignorance and the feeling of reduced capacity, the beginning of practice, cloud-9 - no matter where we think we are on the path, all of these moments are part of the eternal now: there's nothing missing. Wow!

Gassho
Hosui
sat/lah

[Tairin]

• What do you make of Huineng’s threefold approach to practice - ‘no thought’, ‘no memory’, and ‘no attachment’? How do we approach doing that?

I think it all comes down to not attaching. Don't attach to our thoughts. Don't attach to our memories. Don't attach to our attachments but also don't attach to our unattachments.

That doesn't mean we can't have thoughts and that thoughts have no value. It doesn't mean we can't have memories and that memories have no value. It doesn't mean we can't have attachments and that attachments have no value (love your husband/wife/partner. love your children and be active in their lives). But don't get locked into any of these things be a definitive, static, permanent nature.

• How do you see Huineng’s description of people being of greater and lesser capacity? Might that put some people off practice if they see themselves as a person of lesser capacity?

I am not sure how other interpreted this but there is a risk of interpreting "capacity" as meaning mental capacity and I don't believe that is what is meant. In this case I believe "capacity" is a spiritual capacity (of sorts). I think we all know people who are more inclined towards religion/spirituality/whatever. Those people have an inclination towards understanding the nature of the universe and things outside of themselves. Other people, seem to be content with a more (dare I say) materialistic, less spiritual life. I certainly know people who just don't seem to have the capacity to see beyond themselves in any sense.

I could be completely off on this though.


Tairin
sat today and lah

[Onsho]

What do you make of Huineng’s threefold approach to practice - ‘no thought’, ‘no memory’, and ‘no attachment’? How do we approach doing that?

This makes me think of Nirvana. Of extinction. It also makes me think of the dangers of spiritual bypassing and regression. Shallow root problem solving-Have a problem, don’t think about it. Deep root problem solving-Have a problem, don’t think about it. Seemingly identical approaches, would resting in suchness be the difference? Is dropping our conceptions actually the opposite of not thinking about it? I feel like the three fold approach is trying to tell me something much larger than just understanding the wording. The four sentences in the commentary felt extremely insightful, and I intend to let myself be more intimate with them.



How do you see Huineng’s description of people being of greater and lesser capacity? Might that put some people off practice if they see themselves as a person of lesser capacity?

The sutra relies on this. Huineng came into instant power from being of “greater capacity.” That aside, our socialization and culture effects our familiarity and understanding to all dharmas. I think its important to impress that it isn't the fault of the individual. There isn’t even fault. A good teacher and community will nurture that person all the same. Every person is Buddha regardless.



“Hinayana.
This term, which means “Lesser Path” or “Lesser Vehicle,” was coined by early followers of the Mahayana to distinguish their emphasis on enlightenment and the liberation of others from those engaged in an ironically self-centered quest for nirvana. Although no sect or individual referred to themselves as Hinayana, the term was apt, as many followers of the Buddha maintained, and still maintain, a narrower, less compassionate view of his message.”

This feels like a hate crime. There has got to be a few broken precepts in this paragraph.

Gassho
Onsho
satlah

[WhiteLotus]

Questions

1. What do you make of Huineng’s threefold approach to practice - ‘no thought’, ‘no memory’, and ‘no attachment’? How do we approach doing that?
2. How do you see Huineng’s description of people being of greater and lesser capacity? Might that put some people off practice if they see themselves as a person of lesser capacity?

Greetings Kokuu!


To me Huineng lets down a hook, to see who climbs upon it. Those who climb upon it will do so according to their own unique background, and that relates to capacity proportionally. As it is said, great doubt, great enlightenment, little doubt, little enlightenment, no doubt, no enlightenment.

If a person sees themselves as a person of lesser capacity they should return to the first practice, no thought, memory, or attachment. Then where is this person who has greater or lesser capacity? The mind that clings to inequality measures in terms of greater or lesser capacity, and therefore their capacity is limited accordingly. When there is no measurement between greater or lesser, everywhere is level ground.

The reality is simple. You cannot possibly be of any greater or lesser than you are right now. This does not exclude aspirations of practice, it simply purifies it. This does not exclude delusions, it merely illuminates them completely. In this way I approach phenomena likewise. To practice no thought, I do not attach to non-thinking, when I practice non-memory, I do not attach to forgetting, when I practice non-attachment, I do not attach myself to detachment. In this way I am free to embrace reality as it is. When one's wants are simply aligned fully with thusness as is, everything is fulfillment. To align, no thought, memory, attachment, practice, method, idea, feelings, consciousness, awareness, action, aspiration, motivation, sangha, buddha, or dharma is required.

Thus the three jewels are perfectly aligned at all times, with no high and low, ever accessible and free. With nothing to gain or lose, the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are truly a refuge for all beings.

Thank you so much for sharing,

Much love to you all,
Salem
SaTLaH

[Kokuu]

Hi all

The new thread is up for this week. Thank you all for your answers for the last sections.

I think it is entirely correct that no attachments pretty much sums up the other two parts of the threefold practice. I am not sure we can ever stop producing thoughts or memories but we don't have to live in them.

In terms of being of greater and lesser capacity, it may be that is self-selecting in any case since those of lesser capacity for spiritual development may well not be interested in sitting or hearing the dharma. And, as some of you rightly pointed out, we all have buddha nature and can only start from where we are anyway. Huineng might well be included in his 'high capacity' box due to the ease with which he was able to understand a mere fragment of The Diamond Sutra.

I wonder also if our capacity to engage with the dharma might change in an instant? People who experience loss or suffering can often turn to the dharma while when things are going okay we would not otherwise think to. So, it may not be a matter of intelligence or even spiritual intelligence but how much we need and value the teachings based on where our life is.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-